Chapter 3

This chapter encourage teachers to develop a classroom management plan that shapes a sense of
community which encourages learning in an environment that is both productive and humane. It also
addresses the components of classroom management.

MANAGING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Education is the art of making man ethical.

- George Hegel, 1821

Subject Matter Knowledge Teachers know the subject matter they teach and make it accessible to
learners.
Planning Teachers consider their goals for students learning and their
knowledge of students and the subject matter as they develop and
sequence learning.
Instruction Teachers address learning goals through meaningful activities that
draw on students and encourage powerful learning.
Assessment Teachers collect varied kinds of information related to learning goals
and involve students in assessing their own progress.
Classroom Management and Teachers establish and maintain safe environments that promote
Discipline fairness, respect and responsibility.
Personal Growth Teachers engage in self-analysis to foster their own development, and
they act as members of learning communities.

Rule and Tools for Classroom Discipline

There are several strategies to discipline students. However, no expert- and no books- in the
world can tell you the appropriate plan for disciplining your students. As a teacher, you must teach
authentically by means of developing your own discipline program based on your personality,
preferences, and philosophy. Your lesson plans need to consider the particular ages, characteristics, and
strengths of your students and their families, and reflect your genuine appreciation for your students as
individuals.

However, there are several strategies to create and maintain a warm and respectful classroom:

1. Treat all learners with dignity and respect.

2. Actively prevent behaviour.
3. View discipline as an opportunity to help students develop independence.
4. Address discipline issues in multiple ways and on multiple levels.

Treat all learners with dignity and respect

Every individual deserves courtesy and kindness. Given their lesser size and status, children in
our society sometimes receives less thoughtful treatment than adults. Within the classroom, the teacher
must emphasize the importance of maintaining student dignity. They must feel that you respect them as
an individual, are concerned about their needs, and understand their perspective.

Six proactive strategies that can help you forestall much students’ misbehaviour:

 Use meaningful curriculum

The teacher should check the curriculum to ensure the content is appropriate, using strategies
that accommodate student diversity.
 Attend to student’s maturation and motivation
Study the characteristics of your learners and then realign your expectations to their physical
and emotional development. For instance, kindergarten pupils should be expected to sit only
about ten minutes before the activity changes, but older students can succeed with longer
periods of sustained activity.
 Establish yourself as an authority figure
When students respect their teacher as an authority, they tend to behave well. Teachers
establish themselves as authorities using different combinations of power, as recounted by
Hoover and Kindsvatter (1997):
 Expert power: The teacher is perceived by the group as having superior
knowledge about the content, about the teaching, and about individual needs.
 Referent power: The teacher is liked and respected because she is perceived as
ethical and concerned about her students.
 Legitimate power: The teacher has the right to make certain decisions by the
sheer power of her official role as a teacher.
 Reward power: The teacher has the power because she can distribute rewards,
including tangible items, such as candy, and privileges and social awards, such as
praise and attention.
 Coercive power: The teacher has power because she can punish.
 Establish clear expectations
Student make better choices about their behaviour when they know what is expected of them.
Start by developing as set of classroom rules, either with the students’ help of your own. Keep a
list of rules down to about four or five in number and state each rule in positive terms.
 Keep things positive
A praise statement keeps the atmosphere positive, builds your referent power, and serves as a
gentle reminder for what all students should be doing. Emphasize what students should do right
and you help prevent misbehaviour. In addition, effective management, a meaningful
curriculum, and genuine concern for your students can prevent much behaviour that could
otherwise distract from learning.
 Use nonverbal communication
You can prevent misbehaviour by using nonverbal communication to inform students that you
feel confident in your own abilities, that you are aware of their actions, that you care about
them, and that you will help the students make good choices about their behaviour.

Professional Development Opportunities

Description Benefits
Professional Meetings  Meetings can directly address your
Meetings range from general and specific areas of interests or need.
conferences to focused workshops on  Meetings can present practical
working with particular student needs, on strategies for immediate
specific teaching or assessment strategies, implementation, which makes them
and on subject matter areas. With time, you especially appealing to new teachers.
may be ready to provide workshops that  Effective speakers can inspire and
showcase your own expertise. restore enthusiasm.
Professional memberships  Joining an organization can increase
National, local and international your feelings of belongingness to a
organizations focus on educational concerns. professional community.
 You can select your level of
participation, which can vary from
minimal (pay your dues and read the
literature) to extensive (take on
leaderships roles).
 Most associations’ membership fees
include both practical and research
journals.
 Members receive benefits such as
discounted conference fees and
opportunities for travel and
insurance.
Professional Literature  Electronics searches allow you to find
Abundant educational resources include large amount of information
practical texts, scholar texts, research specifically related to your needs.
journals, trade magazines, and Internet  You can read at your own
resources. Check teachers supply stores, convenience.
university and local libraries, and the  Reading can allow greater depth that
teachers’ lounge for relevant resources. can shorten workshop sessions.
 You can draw conclusions if you read
primary resources.
Professional Travel  Travel broadens our experiences and
Local travel opportunities include visits to view good practice.
nearby classrooms, schools, and field trips  Travel can provide you with empathy
sites. More extensive travel includes trips to and skills addressing diverse learners.
faraway sites to examine schooling practices.  Travel can increase your subject
Educationally-related field trips to distant matter base and the resources you
sites to study the culture, language, history, draw from in your classroom teaching.
or natural phenomena can provide course
credit.
Advance Study  Advance study is often particularly
Advanced study through a university can meaningful for teachers because they
result in advanced credential, certificate, or can draw from background of their
a graduate degree. own teaching experience.
 Advanced study is professionally
satisfying when it is results in a
 specialized set of skills and attitudes
that can be used to serve students
and the profession.
 Advanced study provides for a greater
number of professional options.
 Advanced study is typical mechanism
for advancing on the salary scale in
public schools.
Professional Writings
Informal writings by teachers include private
journals and handbooks for local and
national distribution. Many education
journals and magazines welcome
contributions from practicing teachers.

Types of instructional material: their advantages and limitations

Type Advantages Limitations

Printed materials  They are relatively  In many classes they
(Textbooks, periodicals, cheap. become the only
etc.)  They provide an outline point of view in the
that the teachers can course.
use in planning courses,  They are usually
units and lessons. written for a national
 They are convenient to audience, so they do
use and require very not consider local
little maintenance. issues or community
 They are self-paced. problems.
 They enable students to  They often lack the
take home in convenient pizzazz of electronic
form most of materials media.
they need to learn for  They may not be as
the course. effective in the case
 Provides a common of special students
resource for all students who need “assistive”
to follow. technology.
 Includes pictures,
graphs, maps and other
illustrative materials
which facilitate
understanding.
Visuals (pictures, graphs,  Permit close up detailed  Sometimes overused
charts, photographs, etc.) study at individuals own  Many teachers rely
pacing. too heavily on them
 Attract students’ to the exclusion of
 attention and aid other visual aids.
concentration.
 Add variety and interest
to a lesson.
 Cut down unnecessary
teacher talking time.
Chalkboard/ display board  It allows for spontaneity,  Boredom on the part
speed and change. of the students.
 It can fit the tempo of  The discussion is
any lesson in any monotonous.
subject. It can be used
for displaying pictures,
clippings, drawings,
sketches and diagrams.
 It is particularly valuable
for emphasizing the
major points of a lesson
and working out
problems for the whole
class to see.

Audio materials (tapes  They are easy to  They involve auditory

and recorders) prepare. organ only.
 They are portable and  They have a tendency
easy to operate. to be overused.
 Duplication is easy and  Children are
economical. sometimes sensitive
 They enhance the to noise and other
learning of verbal unnecessary sounds.
information.
 They capture real sound.
 They allow one to
record and listen to
his/her own
voice/sounds.
 They enable one to
repeat listening as
frequently as desired.
Overhead projectors  Can present information  Cause bulbs to blow
in systematic and after prolonged use.
development
sequences.
Slides/Slide projectors  Result in colourful,  Can get out of
realistic reproductions sequence and be
of original subjects. projected incorrectly
 Can be combined with if slides are handled
taped narration for individually.
 greater effectiveness.
Filmstrips  Are compact, easily  Are relatively difficult
handled, and always in to prepare locally.
proper sequence.  Require film
 Are projected with laboratory service to
simple lightweight convert slides to film.
equipment.
 Are useful for group or
individual study as
projection rate
controlled by the
instructor or user.
Televisions  Magnify visual images.  Impose
 Allow unpredictable
telecommunication or scheduling
the ability to observe an constraints.
event at a distance.
 Enable to see
unreachable places.
Video tape/Video cassette  Playback capability of  Must fit technical
players video recording permits requirements of
analysis of the on-the- television video.
spot action.  Script writing is
difficult and time
consuming.
Computers  Allow one to learn at his  Difficulty in
own pace and review troubleshooting
the materials as many technical problems.
times as needed for  Require computer
understanding. literacy.
 Allow interactive
presentation purposes.
 Are being used even in
the absence of the
teacher.
 Allow one to commit
errors and correct them
without being
humiliated in front of
the class.
Internet  Allow students to”  Difficulty in acquiring
- Converse an open
with other communication line.
student at  Installation fees,
locations equipment fees and
beyond the equipment are
local expensive.
 community.
- Discuss
curriculum-
based
projects
with other
students
beyond local
community.
- Acquire a
wide range
of online
information.
- Get articles,
reports,
papers, and
journals, as
well as
hundreds of
online
publications.